That's All I've Got to Say
by aviatrix8
Summary: Sain convinces Kent to write a love poem for Lyn, which leads Kent to find another way to express his love to her.


Copyright, Aviatrix8, 2004. Fire Emblem and all related characters are property of Nintendo et al., and are used without permission.

xXxXx

Fire Emblem fanfic:

"That's All I've Got to Say"

by Avi

It was the end of another long day of combat, for Lord Eliwood's forces... The cavalier known as Kent rode off the battlefield, with a downcast look upon his face; his comrade-at-arms, Sain, then rode up beside him.

"What's the matter, Kent?" asked Sain. "We did well in battle today, yet you look as gloomy as ever!" He said this jokingly, in an effort to tease his partner; however, Kent just sighed.

Sain's brow furrowed. Normally, he would've gotten some sort of reaction out of Kent; at the very least, the latter would've given him a cold glare.

"What's wrong, old friend?" he asked again, in a more concerned tone. "Did something happen to you while in combat?"

"Not really," admitted Kent. "It's just..." He sighed again, and then continued.

"Well, as you may have noticed, I fought by the Lady Lyndis's side, today. But after speaking to her, I now fear that I'll be nothing more to her, than her loyal knight..."

Sain shook his head sadly. "And that's all you ever will be, if you never tell Lady Lyndis how much you care for her," he pointed out. "Why not just confess your love to her?"

"Would that it be that simple for me, Sain..." Kent ran a mailed hand through his red hair, uneasily.

"For I've been a soldier all my life: I know how to use a sword; to thrust the point of a lance at an enemy... These things come naturally, to me. But putting my feelings into words? That, I'm ashamed to say, is beyond my ability..." His friend considered this.

"Hmmm... I'm afraid that I've never had such problems with romantic language," mused Sain. After receiving a sharp glance from his partner, he added hastily, "Yet I sympathize, all the same!" He paused in thought for a moment, then snapped his fingers.

"I know!" he said brightly. "Why don't you write the Lady Lyndis a love letter, to tell her just how much you care... Or better yet, compose a sonnet for her! You may find it easier to put down your feelings upon parchment, rather than admitting them face to face."

"I don't know, Sain..." began Kent skeptically.

"Oh, come on! It's worth a shot, isn't it?"

Kent sighed. "I suppose..."

xXx

"How's that love poem for Lady Lyndis going, Kent?"

Kent winced at the volume of his friend's voice, then glanced around self-consciously.

"Shhh! Could you lower your voice a bit, Sain?" he replied, in a hushed tone. "I'd rather not announce my intentions to the entire army!"

"Aw, you worry too much, old friend," responded Sain cheerfully. "Besides, everyone else is way too busy setting up camp to care what we're talking about... Anyways, have you finished it yet?"

Kent placed a hand behind his head, sheepishly. "Not exactly..."

Sain looked surprised. "Why not?"

"It's just..." Kent hesistated for a moment, then continued. "Well, I just can't seem to convey my love for the Lady Lyndis into words," he confessed. "Whether it be on paper, or in person... I always seem to get tongue-tied, somehow."

Sain nodded in sympathy. "I think I understand. Here, let me take a look at what you've written so far, and I'll see if I can help you."

"Well..." began Kent, reluctantly. "If you think it will help." The knight reached into his breastplate, and pulled out a neatly rolled parchment, which he then handed over to his fellow cavalier.

Sain promptly unrolled the scroll and scrutinized it for a moment... He then shook his head. "Tsk, tsk..."

"What's wrong with it?" asked Kent defensively.

"This isn't romantic at all..." pointed out his friend. "It sounds like you've written a report to your commanding officer!"

"Well, I'm sorry, Sain," Kent replied stiffly, "but I just don't have your eloquence when it comes to affairs of the heart." Sain tapped the piece of parchment with a gauntleted hand.

"Listen Kent, this definitely wouldn't do." His eyes then lit up. "Say, I know! Why don't I compose a poem, address it to Lady Lyndis, and just say it's from you?"

"You shouldn't even consider that!" answered Kent, mortified. "It wouldn't be proper!" He then sobered slightly. "Besides, Lady Lyndis would probably recognize your writing style in a heartbeat."

Sain sagged. "I guess you've got a point." He looked thoughtful for a moment, then his expression brightened again.

"I'll tell you what, Kent," began the other knight, placing a companionable arm around his fellow cavalier. "You being my comrade-at-arms and best friend, I'll share with you the secret of my success with women."

Kent bit back a sharp retort, along the lines of, "What success with women?" Sain was only trying to help him out, after all...

xXx

Sain led Kent over to the encampment's makeshift paddock, where all of the army's horses were tethered.

"I keep all my romantic inspiration with Verde, over here," said Sain proudly, indicating the placid mare that was his mount.

Kent eyed the beast skeptically. It didn't seem to be a source of romantic inspiration to him... The horse appeared to roll its eyes sympathetically at Kent; it knew as well he did, the odd whims of its owner.

"Um, Sain..." began Kent slowly. The other knight must've noticed his expression, because he chuckled at him.

"Oh no, I didn't mean that Verde was my inspiration," explained Sain.

"That's a relief," commented Kent, then tried to hide a smile. "Though I suppose she is the only female who has remained loyal to you..."

When Sain shot him an injured look, Kent felt apologetic. "I'm so sorry, Sain. That just sort of came out..."

"That's okay," replied the other cavalier lightly, though he still looked a little hurt.

Sain then walked up to his horse's side, and opened one of the packs strapped to it.

"Behold, my source of inspiration!" proclaimed the knight, his good humour restored. Kent edged over beside him to get a better look, and then raised his eyebrows.

"Are those...?"

"Yes, indeed... The finest collection of romantic poetry in all the land!" Sain told him, displaying the books in his saddlebag with a flourish.

"I've been collecting these for years, now," continued the cavalier. "I used to unpack them whenever we set up camp, but after I accidently left a few behind, I've decided to keep them safe with Verde, over here." Sain patted the mare on the nose, fondly.

Meanwhile, Kent was trying to contain his disbelief. "Sain, do you mean to tell me that you keep heavy volumes of epic love poetry in your saddlebags, at all times?" asked the knight, disapprovingly. "I can't believe you'd weigh your warhorse down with such trifles, even in combat!"

"They're not trifles, Kent; they're valuable pieces of art!" protested Sain. "Besides, they're what made me the charming, literate knight that you see before you today!" Kent refrained from rolling his eyes at these words.

In the meantime, Sain had started to search Verde's saddlebags. "Now, let me see if I can find anything here that can help you win over Lady Lyndis's heart..."

"Hmmm..." the cavalier murmured to himself, as he rummaged around in his packs. "Ah! This particular book has always provided me with ideas, whenever my muse of love has forsaken me." He handed a well-thumbed tome to Kent, who took it warily. "Now, where's that other volume of poetry...?"

With some trepidation, Kent opened the book that Sain had given him... After reading a few lines, however, he quickly snapped it shut.

"Sain..." he began, flushing as red as his hair, "I don't think a book of bawdy ballads will help me to win the Lady Lyndis's heart."

"What?" asked Sain, looking up from his search. Spotting the tome he had given Kent, he had the grace to look embarassed. "Whoops, my mistake, old friend! I guess you're not ready for that sort of thing yet, huh?" He gave his fellow cavalier a friendly wink.

"Well, I suppose now I know where you get all those raunchy drinking songs whenever we stop by a pub," muttered Kent under his breath, as he handed back the book to his companion.

Sain replaced the volume, as he continued to scrounge around in his horse's pack. "Blast!" he suddenly cursed, as he dropped a couple of books onto the ground. "These are all my volumes on romantic ballads... Where are my tomes of love poetry?"

As he said this, Sain handed his friend another book, still preoccupied with his task. "Here Kent, hold onto this for a second, while I look in my other pack..."

Kent accepted the tome, which had "Romantic Songs and Lyrics" written in flowing script upon the cover. Judging this to contain safer material than last book he was given, the red-headed cavalier opened it, although not without some hesitation...

The knight then found himself skimming the book, completely absorbed... There were dozens of beautifully written ballads in it; surely there was one that could reflect his own feelings of love...

Kent had just turned a page, when his eyes widened... Just as Sain held up another book, triumphantly.

"Found it!" exclaimed Sain. "This volume of poems is sure to set your muse of romance aflame...!"

"Forget the love poetry for a moment, Sain," interjected Kent. He then indicated the opened book to his fellow knight. "I don't suppose you could teach me this ballad, instead?"

Sain glanced down at the page his friend had pointed out. "Uh, I don't know, Kent... Why would you want to learn that song, anyways?" Kent stared down at the lyrics for a moment.

"I believe it expresses in precise words, my feelings for the Lady Lyndis," he replied quietly. Sain regarded him thoughtfully for a moment, and then nodded.

"Well, if you put it that way... I do know a bit of the tune, but I can't claim to be any sort of student of music," he told Kent frankly.

When the other knight deflated at this, Sain patted his comrade's back in a reassuring fashion.

"Do not despair, my friend! I may not be able to aid you in this, but if you recall... This army does happen to have its own bard."

It took a few moment for Kent to realize what his companion meant by this.

"But, you don't mean..." When Sain nodded cheerfully, the other cavalier's eyes widened. "Sain! I could never ask Nils to help me with this! I shouldn't even think about asking a child to teach me a love song; it wouldn't be decent!"

"Don't be such an old stick, Kent... Do you want to admit your true feelings to Lady Lyndis, or not?"

The knight paused to consider Sain's words... Then, he sighed in resignation.

xXx

Kent managed to find Nils up on a small hill overlooking the army's encampment... The young bard was sitting on a rock while playing a lilting tune on his flute, as birds twittered around him in the sunlight.

As he approached the boy, Kent found himself shifting his feet. The knight couldn't help thinking back to the time when he first met Nils, and refused to help him, out of concern for Lady Lyndis's safety. It had only after Lyn's insistance that he had agreed to help out the young boy and his sister, at all... The cavalier's face flushed crimson at the shame of the memory.

Steeling himself, he walked up to the bard, though still ill at ease.

"Uh... Hello, Nils," began Kent, blushing furiously. The bard paused in his playing, to look up at the knight.

"Oh, hello Sir Kent!" he replied, his eyes lighting up in recognition. "Is there something I can do for you?"

"Um, well..." The cavalier rubbed the back of his head with a mailed hand. As the boy gazed at him curiously, the knight finally managed to speak.

"I was hoping you could help me with this song I'm trying to learn, Nils," Kent told the bard hesistantly, as he handed the open book to the boy. "I'm afraid I'm not very good with music."

As Nils glanced down at the lyrics, the knight added hastily, "I completely understand if you refuse, though..."

"Sure, I'd be happy to teach you this ballad, Sir Kent," replied the bard pleasantly.

Kent blinked in disbelief. "You... You would?"

Nils nodded. "Of course! How could I refuse? Lady Lyndis and your friends helped me and Ninian out of a tight spot, way back when."

The knight shook his head, uncertainly. "But... I feel as if I've treated you ill, before; I didn't want to help you and your sister out, back then. I regret that, now; I don't think I truly deserve your aid."

The bard gazed at him measuringly, with those strange reddish eyes.

"You were only doing what you thought was right at the time," said Nils, reassuringly. "After all, your mission was to protect Lady Lyndis, was it not? ...I completely understand. Besides, you helped us out in the end, and that's all that really matters."

As Kent continued to look at the bard in astonishment, Nils offered him a warm smile.

"Now, let's get started on that song, shall we?"

xXx

Lord Eliwood's forces were once more locked in combat with another army of fierce foes... Sain couldn't help but notice that Kent had been paired up with the Lady Lyndis in battle, yet again... The knight found his gaze turning back to the two every now and then, even as he fought; out of anxiety for both his liege lord, and his fellow cavalier.

As the battle ended, Sain watched his friend with some concern... There was a bemused expression on the other cavalier's face; the knight had only seen a similar expression on those who had received an unexpected blow to the head, in combat. Sain urged his steed beside Kent's own.

"Are you all right, Kent?" he asked, in a worried tone. "Did you hurt yourself during the battle? Perhaps I should take you to the healer's tent, to get checked out..." Kent waved him off, absently.

"I'm... I'm fine," replied the knight, though he did sound rather dazed. "It's just..." He paused, then continued in a tone of wonder. "I finally managed to confess my feelings to Lady Lynd... To Lyn."

Sain looked shocked. "What? You told her, right there on the battlefield?" When Kent nodded, Sain broke into a wide grin. "You sly dog... I didn't think you had it in you!"

"Nor did I," confessed Kent, with a wry smile. He then ran a hand through his red hair, in embarassment. "Now, I suppose the trouble I went through learning that love song for her, was all for naught..."

"Surely you jest!" protested Sain. "You've spent weeks studying that ballad with Nils; I've seen the late nights you've put in doing so! Are you just going to toss all that hard work aside?"

"But... I wasn't very good at singing, anyways," pointed out the other knight, weakly.

"Trust me, my friend. Lady Lyndis will be more impressed that you put in the effort! You've finished learning the entire tune, correct?"

"Yes..." answered Kent, slowly. "I don't how Nils put up with me; I wasn't exactly a model student," he admitted sheepishly. "I certainly would never consider music as a second career..."

"You'll do fine," said Sain, in a reassuring voice. He then nudged Kent back in the direction of their liege lord.

"Now, go over there and tell Lady Lyndis you've got something special planned, tonight... I'll make sure it goes off without a hitch." He gave his friend a playful wink; Kent then offered him a genuine smile.

"Sain... Thank you for all your encouragement." He grabbed his comrade's arm in a soldierly handshake. Sain returned the gesture.

"Don't mention it. Now, get over there, before you lose your nerve!" he teased, giving his companion's horse a shove.

Kent nodded. He then rode away, as his friend watched him go... A look of smug satisfaction spread across Sain's face, at a job well done.

xXx

So, as night fell, it found Kent leading Lady Lyndis to a small, secluded clearing, just outside the army's current encampment... The knight waited for Lyn seat herself upon a log, as he remained standing.

"Well, why did you call me out here, Kent?" Lyn asked the knight politely. "Is there some military matter you wanted to discuss in private?"

"Er... Not exactly," answered Kent, suddenly unsure of himself.

"Um, actually... There is something I wanted to tell you, for the longest time," he then told her, hesitantly. "But... Now, I've found the words to do so."

After saying this, Kent started to sing the ballad he worked so hard to learn, in a strained, uneasy tenor... But as he continued, he found that the lyrics came more naturally to him, and the knight began to sing with more confidence; Lyn merely watched him in mute astonishment.

However, when Kent reached the part of the song that was supposed to be sung in duet, he was surprised to hear a sweet voice chime in... His words faltering for a moment, he looked up in shock as Lady Lyndis joined him in song.

xXx

As the last note faded into the night, there was a pause of silence in the clearing... Finally, Kent found his voice returning to him.

"Milady... Lyn," he began. "I had no idea you knew that song."

Lyn smiled gently at him. "My parents used to sing it together, when I was young. You know, I've been wondering where you've been wandering off to at nights... Now, I know. I'm touched to know that you learned that ballad, just for my sake."

Kent blushed. "I only did so, because it put into words what I could not..."

"I beg to differ, Kent. It took a lot of courage to admit your love to me, on the battlefield, today."

As she said this, Kent reached out impulsively and grasped her hand.

"I would court you with more grace, if I knew how, milady," said the knight, in a low voice. Lyn placed a hand over his own.

"Kent... You should know by now that titles mean nothing to me; I am content to have you by my side, as my knight... My friend... And my beloved."

And with that, she leaned over, and kissed him softly on the cheek.

xXx

Unbeknownst to the couple, a certain pair of matchmakers were observing their actions, in the bushes behind them.

"Do you really think we should be eavesdropping on them like this, Sir Sain?" asked Nils, in a skeptical tone.

"I'm just making sure everything goes smoothly for Sir Kent and Lady Lyndis," the knight reassured the boy. "They are my friends, after all."

"That's true... I guess," said Nils uncertainly. Sain then patted the young bard on the head, in a preoccupied manner.

"However, a child like yourself shouldn't really be watching something like this... So, why don't you just run along back to camp, Nils? I can handle it, from here on in."

Nils sighed to himself, and turned to leave... He then paused for a moment. Pulling out his pan pipes, the young boy raised them to his lips; then, he started playing a gentle melody.

"Say, that's a nice tune, Nils," commented Sain, without turning around. His eyelids began to droop. "Sort of... Relaxing..."

Slowly, the cavalier began to slump over... Within a few moments, he was fast asleep. Only then, did the bard lift the pipes from his lips.

"Sorry about that, Sain," apologized Nils. He patted the slumbering cavalier on the head, affectionately. "But I really think those two need their privacy..."

Then, the young bard headed back to the army encampment, softly whistling a certain love ballad under his breath.

END

xXxXx

This story is inspired by the song of the same name, from which it gets its title... The song itself is from an old animated movie, called "The Last Unicorn". The story came about after I watched "The Last Unicorn" DVD, recently... "That's All I've Got to Say" is originally sung as a romantic duet between two of the characters, Prince Lear and Lady Amalthea.

After watching the movie, Prince Lear reminded me so much of Kent... Both are born soldiers, whose only way of showing affection to their ladies is by fighting in battle for them. (The "I would court you with more grace..." line used by Kent in this story is directly from the movie, except that it is used by Prince Lear to Lady Amalthea.)

To see the song lyrics that inspired this story, check out my writing journal; the link is in my bio. 


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